The latest BBM update is now also available for iOS users, and will begin showing in the App Store within the next couple of hours.

Be sure to update your BBM app to get your Custom PIN, No Ads Subscription and more.

For tips and tricks and to learn more about Custom PINs visit this blog post from Danielle.

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The latest upgrade to BBM was announced today at MWC and will begin to roll out for BlackBerry 10 and Android devices tomorrow and iOS soon. We’ve made tweaks and squished bugs, resulting in the fastest and smoothest BBM experience yet. I think you’re going to love it.

We’ve also added even more features. I want to quickly run through these new additions for you.

BBM has always been about messaging with privacy and control, and the BBM PIN is at the center of that experience.

All BBM users already have a PIN. These PINs are linked to your personal BlackBerry ID, and make it easy for you to add new contacts. Simply share your PIN to add people to your BBM contacts list while keeping private information such as your phone number or email address.

If you’re newer to BBM, all PINs follow a specific alphanumeric format, and look something like “2668C1AD”. I’ve seen PINs all over the place – on business cards, email signatures, flyers, and in some parts of the world, taxis !

Subscriptions

After upgrading to the latest BBM, you’ll see a new section in the BBM Shop – Subscriptions. Subscriptions are additional purchasable BBM features that are based on a recurring fee. There are two subscriptions that will be available at launch – “No Ads” and “Custom PIN”.

No Ads

Advertisements can be removed from BBM for $0.99 USD per month with the No Ads subscription. This subscription removes all ads from your feed, and you will no longer receive sponsored invites from our partners.

Custom PIN

With a Custom PIN subscription you can make a PIN that’s easy for you and your friends to remember and/or says something special about you. Custom PINs have to follow certain guidelines. They must be 6-8 characters long, and can include numbers and letters only. Special characters cannot be used and PINs are not case sensitive. A Custom PIN subscription is $1.99 USD per month.

BBM users with any active subscription get another little bonus – a badge on their avatar to show off their premium status. Take a look at my profile picture in the screenshots below to see it in action.

If you have more questions about Custom PINs take a look at the FAQor ask below in the comments.

More Exciting Additions with the Latest BBM Update

Photos in Groups

BBM Groups keeps getting better. Last time we added the ability to use stickers in Group Chats. This time we’re adding another popular request – Photos in Group Chats.

You can now share a photo while having a group conversation. These photos are also saved to the Pictures section of your group, allowing you to still “like” and comment on them.

Android Wear

If you are using BBM on Android, (and a lot of you are ) you’ll be excited about this! Android Wear Support is now baked-in to this release. Seamlessly receive alerts on your wrist when new BBM messages come in, and read and respond to them with a few simple swipes. This is going to make discreet messaging on-the-go even easier.

iOS Security Updates

By taking advantage of iOS specific features like TouchID, we are enabling iOS users to password protect their BBM chats. Lock your private BBM conversations with a 4-digit passcode or your fingerprint. You can set how long you would like BBM to remain unlocked before a password is required again.

And More To Come…

You may have noticed that we’ve been updating BBM veryoften. We read every single comment, and take your feedback into consideration when developing BBM updates.

Thanks for helping make BBM the most private social network for your important conversations.

Those who know me well (or even a little for that matter) know that I’m head over heels in love with BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™). You also know that I’m a pretty big baseball fan. Well, put those things together and you get the inspiration for this week’s Top 3 Tuesday: Top Three Uses for BBM Groups. You might be asking yourself, what does baseball have to do BBM Groups? The answer might surprise you:

1. Coordinating groups of people. BBM Groups is possibly one of the best ways to get a group of people together in one place, without physically meeting. With the ability to chat in real time with your selected group, it’s simple and fun way to connect. You can also share calendars, lists and even photos. For me, the ability to create lists is among the best features because you can assign a task to a group member and track completion. Planning a party? Assign someone to bring the balloons, or the cake. Working on a project? Assign the completion of needed documents and track everything in the group calendar. Getting people together using BBM Groups couldn’t be easier.

2. Sharing the moment. Have something that you want to share with a group of your BBM contacts, but not the whole list? Creating a BBM Group is a great way to do this. One of the best examples I’ve come across is a friend who used a BBM Group to keep us all up to date on their pregnancy. They made the announcement in the chat, then added the due date to the calendar, and finally shared pictures of the baby – all within the group. (It was a girl – congrats!)

3. Clubs and Teams. I’ve been playing recreational baseball this summer, and we use BBM Groups as our main hub for the team. At the beginning of the season, we added all our games to the group calendar so nobody would forget. We share photos and memes for inspiration on game day, and use the chat all week long to coordinate impromptu practices and make carpooling arrangements to the diamond. We even use the list function to keep track of who’s on sunflower seed duty and make changes to the batting order. Now, we can focus on swinging for the fences.

If you haven’t already explored BBM Groups, you might find that it can be used as your personal coordinator. Do you have an interesting way you use a BBM Group in BlackBerry Messenger? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments.

1. Communicate: With BBM you can send messages up to 2,000 characters long, and best of all, you can see when users on the other end are interacting with you. There’s a simple yet wonderful thing that happens in BBM. You can see when your message has been delivered (signified by a “D” to the left of the message) and when it’s been read (signified by an “R”). You can also see when the user on the other end is typing, so you’re not left hanging!

2. Share: With BBM, you can quickly and efficiently transfer pictures, files and voice notes from your BlackBerry smartphone to your contacts — it turns your moment into their moment. To send the file, all you have to do is open the file, hit the “menu” button on your BlackBerry smartphone, select “send”, select “BBM Contact”, then choose who you want to send it to. So simple! I use this all the time with my friends and family to share photos, and I also send voice notes when I want to add that personal touch to a conversation. Also, with BBM Connected apps, you can share what you’re doing in the app with your BBM contacts. Want to discuss the score of a sporting event you’re following, or share your app suggestions with someone you know? With BBM Connected, your apps become more social. Check out Alex’s blog post on his top 6 BBM Connected apps!

3. Organize: BBM has a built-in feature below your contacts list called BBM Groups. This is a great way to gather groups of BBM users and organize events, clubs and gatherings. Planning a surprise party for someone? Gather everyone (except that certain individual of course) into a BBM Group and share a central calendar so everyone can see key dates. You can create group lists so people can track who’s in charge of bringing what, and you can also share pictures, files and hold a group chat so that everyone can be on the same page. I’ve used this on a few occasions and the plan has always gone off without a hitch!

There you have it — my top three tips for using BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). Do you use BBM in a unique way? Share it with us in the comments below.

One of best features available in BlackBerry® Messenger (BBM™) is Groups, as it’s a great way to stay organized and in touch. Using Groups, you can chat, share pictures and lists, create appointments and much more with family, friends, or co-workers. (Also, to get an idea of how you can use Groups, check out Alex’s post on Starting a BlackBerry Messenger Group to see how he uses it stay on top of everything!)

Let’s take a look at how to set up and manage a BlackBerry Messenger Group. To learn additional important things such as how to administer your group, check out the BlackBerry Messenger 6.0 User Guide.